Conduct in Public Worship and Gender Roles

We have been created and we have been renewed in Christ to worship God in Spirit and in Truth.

I would like to speak on God’s directives to us as His children regarding His worship and in particular His gender particular directives and what that means for us.

I would like to look at two passages of holy Scripture.

I Timothy 2:8. Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. ⁹ Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, ¹⁰ but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. ¹¹ A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. ¹² But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. ¹³ For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. ¹⁴ And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. ¹⁵ But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint. (see Gen.3:1-16)

The second passage comes from First Corinthians.

I Corinthians 14:33. for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. ³⁴ The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. ³⁵ If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. ³⁶ Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? ³⁷ If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. ³⁸ But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. ³⁹ Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. ⁴⁰ But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.

Hearing these things in our modern (apostate) times how we need to pray for hearts submissive to the word of God.

God wants to be worshiped.

We mentioned last week when we looked at I Timothy 2:1-7 that the context there (as well as our morning passage) is public worship. God wants His people to gather on the Lord’s Day to worship Him as a gathered together people. On this day of religious rest, we hear the word of God preached, we praise Him with Biblical psalms and hymns, and we pray to Him often in the language He gives us in His word. (WCF 21.5)

The spiritual man receives.

To the true Believer this is our heart’s delight. We live for God. We die for God. (Rom.14:8-13, Phil.1:21-25, 2 Cor.5:6-8)) We love God, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Adoring, worshiping, serving, loving God is our life. (Gal.2:20)

By God’s gracious gift of faith, we are new creatures in Christ. (Eph.2:1-9, 2 Cor.5:17, Jn.1:11-13) And it is His blessed word that begets us and continues to sanctify us, of course effectually applied by God the Holy Spirit. (Jas.1:18, I Pt.1:23-25, 2 Tim.3:14-17, Jn.17:17, Rom.10:1-17)

The word of God is what we live on. And not the word of man. What God says in His word He approves of – we approve of. What God says in His word He disapproves of – we disapprove of. Or we should. And we repent when we don’t.

The natural man rejects.

Of course, this is the exact opposite to those without saving faith in Christ. To the unbeliever this all appears to be silly and a colossal waste of time and effort and even money (as Believers do give gifts to support the ministry of Christ’s church).

The natural man, the person still dead in their sins and their trespasses is at enmity with God, worshiping the true and the living God is the last thing they want to do. (Rom.8:7, Eph.2:1-3, I Cor.2:12-16) In fact, the unbeliever shows their spiritual hatred of God by approving of what God disapproves and disapproving of what God approves. (Isa.5:20-21, Isa.55:8-9)

We need look no further than our own anti-God culture.

Well, this will have ramifications to what we are looking at in our text, God’s instructions for men and women in the corporate assembly.

I will say at the outset that the natural man does not agree with what God says about the differences of the sexes and their different functions and roles as dictated by Him and this applies to natural unconverted man – even in the church – even in the pulpit.

Again, look at our current culture not only on God but on God’s view of the sexes. We are in rebellion against the holy Creator.

But we remind ourselves of what we profess to believe. We believe that the word of God is the only rule for our doctrine and our practice. (2 Tim.3:14-17, WCF 1.10)

God wants to be prayed to in worship.

Now with that said let’s get to the business of prayer in corporate worship. Here in our morning passage with V.8. God specifically speaks to the posture of men in prayer. But let me back up a little bit to show that the women are not being excluded from praying in corporate worship.

Men and women pray in worship.

Paul opens this chapter implying that all Christians are to pray for all kinds of people.

I Timothy 2:1. First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

Again, I believe that primarily here in our passage the apostle Paul is speaking about corporate worship. And this certain also applies to private and family worship. The Bible records Hanna’s prayer and Mary’s prayer. The Bible tells us that Simeon and Anna each prayed to see the Lord’s Christ. (Lk.2:25-38) God in Christ saves men and women. That means men and women are in a spiritual union and communion with the Triune God. Included in this is the privilege of speaking with the Lord. (Gal.3:22-29)

Men and women pray together in corporate worship.

Luke the doctor missionary friend of the apostle Paul wrote this.

Acts 1:13. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. (see praying for Peter’s release from prison – Acts 12:5-17)

The male disciples of Jesus and the female disciples of Jesus were praying together as they gathered together. Here this was on the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the NT church in fulfillment of Joel chapter two, God pouring our His Spirit on his male-servants and maid-servants.  (Joel 2:27-29)

Men and women pray together in corporate worship with gender distinct directives.

Next Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit tells the men and the women how he wants them to pray in corporate worship. The men are to pray without a head covering. And the women are to pray with a head covering. The head covering is a sign of a woman’s submission to her husband’s guidance, which is the essence of what Paul tells Timothy in our passage.

I Corinthians 11:3. But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. ⁴ Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. ⁵ But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.

It is not my purpose here to do a study on head covering. I just introduce this for us to show that men and women both do pray in corporate worship. And that God does give some general gender specific directions. I will touch on this as we go along.

Ontologically.

Let me stress something here. Ontologically that is to say of essence men and women are equal before God. In Christ they are equally loved and equally forgiven and equally blessed.

Economically.

But then economically and I mean roles or functions or stations or calling God does give men and women different functions. This is not good versus bad, it is just different according to God’s purpose. Think of creation. Adam is the head or the leader. Eve is his helper. Both are servants to each other as they serve the Lord.

The men – the place of prayer in worship.

Now let’s consider the directives to the men. Paul says that he wants the men to pray in every place. Now the “every place” can be every place where the corporate worship of the Triune God is held.

And remember Paul exists in the same NT epoch that we do. This is worship directives for those that worship in the Last Days. The Last Days refer to the fullness of time now that Christ has come and died and rose and ascended. (Gal.4:4) The only thing we wait for is His return.

With the incarnation of Christ, the old ceremonial law that depicted Christ and His work have gone away. Part of that means that Believers no longer have to pray towards the temple in Jerusalem as God dictated under the old administration of the covenant of grace. (Dan.6:10, I Kg.8:29, Ps.5:7, WCF 7.5, 7.6)

Now in these Last Days we live under a newer and better administration of the covenant of grace, which is the gospel, and so there is no longer any one particular spot of geography that is holier than another. We can pray in every place. And wherever two or three Believers are gathered together for worship – God is there in a special way. (Mt.18:20)

And the “every place” can also be applied to men praying in private or with their families. But it seems to me that the specific directive is for corporate Sabbath worship as Paul speaks about praying with the absence of wrath or dissension which best fits the context of corporate worship.

The men – the posture of prayer in worship.

Let’s look at God’s directive for men to pray while lifting holy hands.

As we begin here, I recommend to your reading John Calvin’s sermons on this passage, not his commentary but his sermon. He says the principle that applies to the men applies to the women and the principle that applies to the women applies to the men.

God gives us one physical posture in prayer. This directive is not meant to be complete or exhaustive on God’s directives regarding prayer.

The Bible does record a number of different physical postures for prayer. We read of God’s people standing to pray and kneeling to prayer. We read of the children of God bowing down to pray and even of laying on their faces to pray.

Our Lord Jesus Himself stood to pray at the time He raised Lazarus from the dead. Again, He knelt to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He ended up throwing Himself on His face to pray such was the intensity of His prayers to His heavenly Father. (Mt.26:39) And we remember that Christ prayed while nailed to the Cross.

I do not want to make too much of the actual lifting up of our hands. Calvin says the same thing.

Principle – we must pray with a pure heart.

We acknowledge this outward form as Biblical. But if we focus on the form and forget the spiritual and inward truths the form is meant to teach us then we commit the sin of the Pharisee. We clean the outside of the cup but neglect the inward soul.

It is possible to stand on the corner with our hands over our heads and move our lips like we are praying to God when in fact we are putting on a “show” for the praise of men. (Mt.6:1-15, Lk.18:9-14)

God says a broken spirit and a contrite heart God will not despise. (Ps.51, Ps.32)

The Bible does say, in both the OT and the NT, that this is a proper posture in prayer.

Let me read a few verses for us.

Leviticus 9:22. Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings.

In this way the posture has a priestly idea to it. And in the NT epoch the Bible does speak of all Christians being a royal nation of “priests”, meaning that in and through Jesus Christ our High Priest we can offer up the sacrifice of praise to God. (Exod.19:11, Rev.1:6, 5:10, 20:6, I Pt.2:5-9)

I Kings 8:22. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. (I Kg.8:54, Neh.8:6, Dt.32:40, Ezra 9:5)

This idea of this particular posture in prayer is that we are lifting up our hearts and voices to God in heaven. That is the idea of the uplifted hands. Oh God in heaven I lift up my praises and petitions to You, to You who are high and lifted up. The psalms are full of this idea of praying with uplifted hand denoting an uplifted heart to God.

Psalm 63:4. So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. (Ps.119:48, Ps.28:2, Ps.141:2, Ps.134:2)

Listen to God’s directive in prayer to all His children as they are experiencing the destruction of Jerusalem and then the pains of Babylonian captivity.

Lamentations 2:19. Arise, cry aloud in the night, At the beginning of the night watches; Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord; Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your little ones who are faint because of hunger At the head of every street.”

Lamentations 3:41. We lift up our heart and hands toward God in heaven.

You see here in Lamentations God tells all the people to pray lifting up their hands expressive of lifting up their hearts and prayers to God.

Principle – part of praying with a pure heart is freedom from rancor.

Beloved, the main truth of I Timothy 2:8 is not on the men, or the males only being directed to lift up their hands. That is not it at all. The main idea is that the men are not to pray in worship while they are fighting with other Christians or anyone for that matter. The stress is on the “holy” not on the hands.

You see the gender specific directives are meant to correct gender specific or gender inclined sins. As we will see God’s tells the ladies do not worry what you look like while they pray in worship. God wants a pure heart not a fancy hairdo.

Like that God tells the men that God wants them to pray from a pure heart out of love to God and love to others. God does not want you speaking with Him while you are at war with your neighbor. I am not saying that woman cannot fight or be at odds with other women of course they can. Paul writes in Philippians chapter four trying to get Euodia and Syntyche to get along. (Phil.4:2)

You see the idea in prayer, for men and women is really the same, it is heart purity.

If I could bring in another scripture verse to support our conclusion

I Peter 3:5. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; ⁶ just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. ⁷ You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. ⁸ To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; ⁹ not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

If I could just speak to the men here. You see God through Peter tells the men be kind to your wife, don’t fight with your wife, because when you are quarreling with her your prayers to God will be hindered.

It is almost impossible to worship God and speak to God while your heart is in turmoil over some other person.

Have you every had someone speaking to you while they are looking at someone else? Isn’t it kind of offensive? Well God wants us to look at Him with our heart when we are speaking to Him and not look at men that are upsetting us.

The women – the clothing in (corporate) prayer in worship.

Now let’s look at God’s directives to the ladies in corporate worship.

Principle – all outward adornments are not forbidden.

Let me say this at the outset that I do not believe this one verse can be made to support the idea that it is always wrong or always against the Bible which means always sin for women to do their hair or to wear a nice dress or to put a necklace on or anything like that.

Again, as I see the people that focus on the “height of the hands” or the outward form for the men and miss the holiness of heart erring so too I think that people that focus on the ‘braided hair” and not on the humble heart they also miss the mark.

Principle – inward (heart) adornment is commanded.

God is not against a woman wearing jewelry. God is against the woman giving her heart to the jewelry. 

Example of an earthly wife receiving outward adornments.

Genesis 24:52. When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the LORD. ⁵³ The servant brought out articles of silver and articles of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

Example of the heavenly wife receiving outward (and inward) adornments.

God Himself is said to adorn His Bride the church with beautiful accessories to further beautify the wife that He makes beautiful with His imputed and infused holiness. (Isa.61:120, Exod.35:22, Num.31:50, Song of Solomon 1:10-11, Exod.3:22, Gen.24:53)

Ezekiel 16:9. Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. ¹⁰ “I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ “I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. ¹² “I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³ “Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.

Beloved the main idea is not the clothes, it is the heart, it is holiness.

I Timothy 2:9. Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, ¹⁰ but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

I Peter 3:1. In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, ² as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. ³ Your adornment must not be merely external– braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴ but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. ⁵ For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; ⁶ just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.

You see even though the directives may appear different for the men and the women, the essence is the same for the men and the women. When you pray don’t be fighting with other people – men. When you pray don’t be trying to impress other people – ladies. When you pray give God your whole heart. A holy life pleases God not the (outward) perfect physical posture in prayer. A holy life pleases God not the (outward) perfect dress.

The women – the outward clothing in corporate prayer in worship.

Let’s say a few words more on God’s directives for the ladies.

Principle – soulish concern does not nullify bodily concern.

The idea is to be less concerned with the outward appearance and more concerned with the heart and with the life. Again, as I have said, God is not directing ladies to be slovenly or take no concern for their bodies or their appearance. I don’t think that is in keeping with a proper self-love or even a proper concern for one’s witness of Christ. We are to do everything we do for the glory of God. (I Cor.10:31, Col.3:23-24) We are labor to give to God our best effort in all things. Being disheveled and unkempt is contrary to this.

Even the proverbial Proverbs 31 woman is extolled in God’s word for her diligence even in these lesser things.

Proverbs 31:21. She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet. ²² She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

But God is telling the women (and also the men) that the true beauty of a woman is found in her relationship with God in Christ.

Principle – God prohibits extravagant dress and immodest dress.

Now our text does say that the Christian woman ought to come into God’s worship with modest and discreet apparel.

There are two sins that God warns against.

Do not dress to impress.

One, wearing extravagant clothing. Dressing for worship like you are going to a fashion show. This is directly spoken to the ladies, but it has application for the men. Calvin says that when he worships among the rich that he cannot tell the men from the women! Meaning the men are dressing like a fashion show as well.

You see the idea is if we dress to impress other people then we have not come to worship God, but rather to puff up self.

Do not dress to tempt.

The second sin is the sin of dressing provocatively.

I do not want to be indelicate. But we do live in a very unclean or immoral society. And the low standard for morality in our culture does affect Believers in the culture.

The idea is that God does not want His daughters to dress like the daughters of the world, in an unclean or an immoral way. God does not want women to come to worship dressed in a provocative or seductive fashion.

Rather the outward clothing should be a reflection of the inward heart. You see it is not good clothes that pleases God it is good works done from a good heart. And our heart is only “good” when it is cleansed by the blood of Christ.

Application.

By way of application, and I will be careful here. I suppose the church can err in two main ways here.

Too lax.

Christians can be inordinately lax here and just accept the clothing that the culture accepts. Of course, this is wrong. In part this is what Paul is writing about.

And many within our conservative camp would respond with a resounding, no! or never!

But then if we reject the clothing of the culture, do we also reject the entertainment of the culture? Are we entertained with immorality? Will our computer viewing history prove that our “indignation” with “immodest” women at church is a lie? (Rom.2:1-6)

Do we reject the philosophy of the culture on other things such as marriage? Remember calling God as our witness? Till death do us part? Perhaps we don’t so loudly respond here.

Principle – be on guard against Pharisaism, the sin of hypocrisy.

I am saying all of this beloved to keep us from feeding the little Pharisee that beats within our corrupt flesh. Oh beloved, our flesh loves to find sin in others and none in ourselves. That is the Pharisee. Christ says our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisee in order to go to heaven. (Mt.5:20, Mt.7:1-7) Pharisaical prayers are not prayers. They are prayers that tear down our fellow man and worship self. God rejects this. Though the flesh loves it.

Too strict.

The other extreme is that we can be inordinately strict or precise, more precise than the Bible. We take this verse and then make up man-made “church rules” women must only wear dresses or skirts and they must never wear pants at church. The idea is that a woman in a dress cannot appear, how shall we say, wrongly attractive. Whereas, if she wears pants, then she sinfully entices some poor unsuspecting fellow.

Principle – be on guard against Pharisaism, the sin of legalism.

Beloved beware of the religious traditions of men they nullify the word the Lord, they seek to bind the consciences of men where God has set them free, they bind up extra-biblical burdens where God has gifted liberty. Oh, I know how this goes! People in favor of their man-made so-called “moral” hobby horse are very intense. So were the Pharisees beloved. (Mk.7:1-11)

The women – the inward submission in corporate prayer in worship.

V.11-15. The actual teaching here is quite basic. It is in keeping with God’s directives to the ladies. Again, I see this as specifically speaking to corporate worship in the Lord’s Day. This is Martin Luther’s view as well. So, not specifically family worship or like venues. Not that family worship should not be orderly. Of course, it should.

Principle – there are venues where the women are permitted and required to instruct religiously.

But Luther again says that the wife has the right even the command to speak in her home – in religious worship and even in the religious instruction of her children and her children’s children.

Likewise, the Bible does tell the older women to teach the younger women how to be godly wives and mothers. (Titus 2:3-4)

Luther says this humorous statement, (rather than argue against the doctrine preached at church) if a lady wishes to be wise let her argue with her husband at home. (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, vol.12, p. 147-148)

Principle – God requires proper order and peaceableness in corporate worship.

But that is the idea here. God wants the men to be peaceable in worship, which is to say teachable in worship. And God also wants the ladies to teachable in worship.

The women – God requires their silence in corporate worship.

God is informing His daughters that He does not want them to hold the position of preacher-teacher in the church. They are not to speak-teach in the corporate assembly.

What this does not mean.

This not “speaking” is not to forbid them from praying and praising or even from asking questions in a Sunday School lesson.

God in the OT actually made use of lady singers in His worship. We think of Miriam and the women singing praises to God. (2 Chron.35:25, Eccl.2:8, Neh.7:67, I Sam.18:6)

What this does mean.

The prohibition here is on teaching in the corporate worship. The prohibition is of assuming teaching authority in the church rather than receive God’s role for her.

And while I know that this can chafe the flesh, but think of this, not all men should teach in the corporate assembly. (James 3:1-3) It is only a tiny fraction of men that God calls and gifts to be His heralds and teachers in His church.

Common objections to God’s objection to women preachers.

Here let’s address some common objections to the divine prohibition against women elders or pastor-teachers.

Some women prophesied.

Some point out that the NT does speak about women “prophesying” in corporate worship.

I Corinthians 11:3. But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. ⁴ Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. ⁵ But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.

Extraordinary prophesying before the close of canon is not normative for preaching subsequent the close of canon.

The idea of women that “prophesy”. The Reformers held that in this instance before the close of canon that this prophesying was not the equivalent of preaching-teaching by the pastor.

They held that extraordinary inspiration before the close of canon does not provide us with the normative practices upon the close of canon. In other words, the extraordinary examples of the Judge Deborah (Jg.4:1-24) or of the prophetess Huldah (2 Kg.22:14-20, 2 Chron.34:22-28) or of the prophetess virgin daughters of the evangelist Philip in the NT (Acts 21:8-9) are not to be considered normative for the NT church.

In fact, in the case of Deborah I would argue that having a woman as the leader of Israel was a form of judgment against Israel. Their men were so pitiful that God gave a woman as their leader. God says the same thing in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 3:1. For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread And the whole supply of water; ² The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder, ³ The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter. ⁴ And I will make mere lads their princes, And capricious children will rule over them, ⁵ And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The youth will storm against the elder And the inferior against the honorable.

Isaiah 3:12. O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray And confuse the direction of your paths. ¹³ The LORD arises to contend, And stands to judge the people.

Cultural or creational?

You see the whole “debate” among professing Christians that profess that the Bible is their rule book on the subject of women pastor-preachers is that Paul’s prohibition here is cultural and not creational.

Flesh obeys the word of man (or woman).

Those that promote lady ministers say Paul was against lady preachers in his day because it was so contrary to the male patriarchy of his culture and society. And thus, it would cause too much turmoil. Or something like this.

Or some say, oh Paul is only against women teaching wrong doctrine in their pastoral ministry. He is not against them teaching the truth as a preacher.

Faith obeys the word of God.

Beloved, the Bible is so clear on this. Does this have a cultural context? Of course, every word on every page of the Bible has a cultural context.

But the reason that the Holy Spirit, who is God, gives for this directive IS creational and even touching on the fall. The reason women lust to be pastors is just a species of the gender specific curse that God pronounced on women after the Fall. Women will have pain in childbirth, and they will desire to rule over their husbands. (Gen.3:16) That is the answer. Pure and simple.

The flesh wants what God forbids. (Rom.7:7, I Cor.14:34-35)

Dress it up any way that you like. We cannot worship God while we are at the same time disobeying God.

You see Beloved by this passage God the Holy Spirit is calling us to be mindful and thinking and purposeful and holy when we come into God’s worship. When we come into God’s house on the Lord’s Day – why have we come? Do we come to adore God? How have we come? Is it with an outward show? Or is our heart lifted up to the Lord?

Oh Beloved, men are all concerned with the outward. God looks at the heart. God wants your heart in worship. All of this is meant to direct us to Christ and the holiness and the blessings we have in Christ to the end that we would be conformed into the image of Christ – Who is The Perfect Worshiper.

Amen